The use of outdoor lighting fixtures has become increasingly popular for illuminating buildings, gardens, pathways, and entrance ways as the nighttime play of light on the landscape and exterior structures is aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, such lighting provides enhanced security by reducing eliminating dark hiding places and unobserved entry points for intruders. The most widely used outdoor lighting systems include one or more low voltage lighting fixtures that are connected to a 12 V transformer that is, in turn, connected to a standard 120 VAC line. Each lighting fixture generally includes a housing, a lamp assembly having a halogen lamp or conventional bulb and a reflector, and a lens or window. Many configurations are known for providing a variety of different lighting effects.
Landscape lighting fixtures, most of which are mounted at or above ground level can be considered to appear somewhat incongruous with the surrounding vegetation during daylight hours, when the illumination function is not in use. Further, because of the constant exposure to the elements, above ground lighting fixtures are generally required to be made of expensive, high quality materials, such as non-corrosive metal alloys, in order to provide durability and a reasonable resistance to damage so as not to appear cheap and unkempt.
As an alternative to the above-ground placement of landscape lighting fixtures, recessed, in-ground lighting fixtures, also known as “well lights”, have gained widespread acceptance. In certain applications, the use of below-ground landscape lighting is preferable over above-ground varieties, especially in areas surrounding walkways where an above-ground element could poses a tripping hazard or in lawn areas where the use of a lawn mower presents a risk of damage to the fixture. One such in-ground lighting fixture is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,407 of Beadle, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A problem experienced with below-ground light fixtures is the limited ability to control the direction of illumination efficiently and easily due to the limited range of illumination and convenient access to the lamp. It would be an advantage to have an apparatus in which the lamp is easily accessible to the user for adjustment of beam quality and direction of the fixture.
Some existing lighting fixtures are designed to be placed in the ground with their faces parallel with the ground. Others fixtures have their upper edge cut at an angle, so that the exit window is at shallow angle relative to the ground, with one side of the fixture extending slightly above the ground. The fixture is selected according to the position of the exit face—there is no variability once the fixture is selected, short of digging the hole in the ground at a different, non-vertical angle, which tends to be imprecise.
Most well lights have a grating over the exit face, which protects the lamp from impact while permitting air to enter the housing. A significant problem with many well lights is the fire hazard that is created when dried plant debris builds up on the lens of the hot lamp. Occasionally, the gratings are removed because they are either broken or the block too much light to achieve the desired effect. This increases the risk of fire because more and larger plant debris can build up on the hot lamp.
The need remains for an in-ground lighting fixture that provides variability in the position of the lamp to provide better control and more efficient use of the light beam, and that greatly reduces the fire hazard caused by build-up on the hot lamp. The present invention is directed to such a fixture.